Reviving the Pioneer Spirit
YDEA LAB Student Ideas Lab
Education for students from idea development to presentation and business plan contest.
Overview
What has been done
The local initiative involved conducting educational workshops (design thinking) and mentoring sessions (led by a real entrepreneur) for high school students at four regional vocational schools. The entire process culminated in the development of initial ideas from small teams into business plans and the preparation of business proposals, including the prototyping of certain products and services. Following a series of school competitions, the initiative culminated in a regional competition featuring the individual teams.
Why was it needed locally
Young people between the ages of 15 and 18 come up with innovative ideas for their own businesses and feel a need to improve their communities. However, they lack the skills to address these challenges and develop solutions to problems. In these situations, it is helpful to apply the design/creative thinking methods used by designers. Students naturally form groups, but they lack experience in teamwork for creative activities. They often come up with their own ideas and solutions, but are unable to present them effectively in public.
Target Groups: How were they activated and their benefits
Primary / secondary school – High school students in the Karlovy Vary Region aged 15–18
Activation: The initiative reached out to school principals and teachers who are interested in fostering student entrepreneurship and have previously collaborated on other projects with the Chamber of Commerce. Reaching out through the existing regional cooperation network.
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Direct contact by phone
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Direct contact by email
Benefit: Participants in the event developed soft skills such as collaboration, division of labor within the implementation team, coordination of personal initiatives, communication at various levels and in various forms, and problem-solving.
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Acquiring specific practical skills for starting a business.
Resources Required
Staff
Staff with expertise in event planning, instructors (design/creative thinking), mentors from the business community, teachers
Space
Classrooms at participating schools; Sokolov, the auditorium and adjacent hallways of the high school in Sokolov (regional competition)
Equipment
Monitor, laptop, desks and chairs, papers, office supplies, prizes for the 6 winning teams.
Budget
Medium: 2-10,000 €
4,800 € covering venue rental, instructors, mentors, refreshments at the competition, photography, and prizes for the winning teams
Methods & Steps
Core Mechanism
Formats applied
Mentoring programme:
A mentoring relationship in which a more experienced professional (mentor) shares their knowledge, contacts, and expertise with a less experienced colleague or student (mentee)
Methods used: Group mentoring : A mentor specializing in marketing strategy presents the key principles to participants and provides consultations to individual teams.Pitching forum:
An organized presentation event where participants give oral presentations of their ideas and projects to a panel of judges. The presentations are time-limited, and the judges provide feedback.
Methods used: Student competition: A team competition for the best business plan or idea based on predetermined criteria. Teams take turns presenting their projects on-site; the judges provide feedback and select the top three teams in two categories (company and idea).Workshop:
An interactive session where participants actively create, discuss, and solve specific tasks.
Methods used: Design thinking: Teaches creative problem-solving, helps generate ideas and evaluate them, develops communication and presentation skills, and promotes teamwork.Steps taken
Preparation
2 weeks
- Selection of instructors : Comparing offers on the market based on the required focus, agreeing on workshop terms.
- Reaching out to participants: High schools and grammar schools in the Karlovy Vary Region with which the Chamber of Commerce collaborates (directors, teachers).
Education and mentoring
2 months
- Conducting of workshops: The selected vendor/instructor conducted five design thinking workshops for students and provided ongoing consultations with the teams formed.
- Mentoring: An experienced entrepreneur (member of the Chamber of Commerce) with relevant expertise delivered three lectures and held consultations with the teams.
- School-level competition rounds: The school teams gave presentations at their schools, and three teams from each of the four schools were selected to advance to the regional round.
- Organization of the competition: Practical planning, including selection of the venue, catering, moderator, and photo documentation.
- Communication: Direct email campaign, social media posts, contacting participants, coordination of activities
Regional round of the competition
1 day
- Opening and Welcome: Welcome coffee break with introductions of the individual teams (tables/exhibition).
- Presentation: The teams present in alphabetical order, and the judges provide them with feedback.
- Conclusion: Evaluation of presentations and announcement of the top teams.
After the event
2 weeks
- Communication: Sending thank-you emails, sharing results, and posting summaries on social media
- Evaluation: Collecting feedback from participants to assess the impact and improve future editions.
Results
Measurable and Direct Outcomes
The local action brought about the following concrete results:
- Improved entrepreneurial / pioneer skills: The students honed their soft skills, such as positive thinking, openness, and the ability to manage risks and find low-cost solutions—all of which are essential for driving change and fostering entrepreneurship
- Business models: The students prepared 12 different business projects at various stages of development. These focused primarily on various services (auto repair, mental health support, food service), as well as the production of pet food, cosmetics, and jewelry.
- Improved transversal skills: The local event encouraged teamwork and creative thinking among the students, and helped them improve their presentation and communication skills.
Indirect Impacts
For schools – feedback for school administrators regarding students’ missing or underdeveloped competencies, which can be incorporated into regular instruction in the future to foster students’ entrepreneurial spirit.
For public administration – validation of a model through which regional governments can encourage young people’s interest in the region’s transformation.
For companies – establishing connections with young talent who may become innovators in companies in the future.
Local Outlook / Follow-up
- Repetition of the event: The Karlovy Vary Regional Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with other regional support organizations, plans to hold this event once a year. Both participants and teachers expressed interest in the event.
- Best practise: The Regional Chamber of Commerce of the Karlovy Vary Region also anticipates integrating this format, as a best practice example, into the upcoming regional soft skill strategy.
Evaluation
Satisfaction - Overview
The participants responded very positively to all the activities. They immediately applied the knowledge and skills they gained to improve their business plans. They greatly appreciated the opportunity to consult with representatives from the business community and present their plans to a real audience (the jury). Some were apprehensive about receiving feedback and disagreed with the evaluation system.
Satisfaction - Details
- Creative learning is fun: The workshop participants enjoyed being creative and brainstorming solutions. Although they normally communicate with one another, they learned how to communicate effectively and share responsibility for specific parts of their projects.
- A mentor knows how to encourage: The mentor not only explained how certain marketing tools and strategies work, but also advised them on how to improve the ones they had already designed to make them more effective.
- Key performance indicators: Total number of training participants, number of completed projects to be presented, number of participants in the final presentation.
Transfer Hints
- Cooperation with schools: Contact school administrators or school board members to explain the entire process (training, mentoring, competition) and the teachers involved. A personal approach ensures strong participation and engagement.
- Experienced instructors: Select instructors who have experience leading teams using creative/design thinking.
- Connection with reality: Engage real entrepreneurs who can assist student teams in the relevant business areas (marketing, economics, law, technology, or others).
- Distribution of activities: Training and mentoring can take place either in several shorter sessions spaced out over time or as an intensive full-day program.
- Professional diversity of participants: Involve different schools. Students will gain insight into their peers’ interests.
- Duration and timing of the competition: It can be a half-day or full-day event held at various times of the day.
- Preparation time: Lack of time for adequate promotion and preparation of the event itself.
- Evaluation: Unclear criteria for evaluating competition entries (presentation length, scoring, etc.).
Participant Testimonials & Impressions
Impressions
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Contact: Barbora Volfova
Phone: +420608887078
Email: volfova@khkkk.cz
Need more information?
Project manager:
Franziska Görmar
IfL - Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Germany
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This project is supported by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund.
Find more information about the x-Inno Radar project on the Interreg CE projectwebsite.
x-Inno Radar is a project of: 
Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria Gmbh, 
The Regional Chamber of Commerce of the Karlovy Vary Region, 
Padova Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture, 
Creative Industry Košice, n. o., 
BSC, Business support centre, ltd., Kranj, 
Regional Development Agency in Bielsko-Biała, 
Stebo Competence Centre Community Developmentm, 
Association of Cultural and Creative Industries Chemnitz and Region (Creative Chemnitz), Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography – Germany, Otelo Cooperative